Contaminated water tanks at landfill damaged

Published: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 6:34 a.m.

An unprecedented pair of lightning strikes has severely damaged a storage system used to hold contaminated water at Baseline Landfill, prompting Marion County officials to move quickly to get the unit operating back at full capacity.

According to county officials, lightning hit a massive 30,000-gallon tank at the landfill in September, rendering the tank irreparable. A second tank the same size that was struck in October was temporarily inoperable but has been recently repaired.

The county has four such tanks, made of reinforced fiberglass, to store polluted water that is trapped by a piping system beneath the 80-foot-plus-high mound of garbage.

The foul fluid is then shipped in 15,000-gallon-increments to a county wastewater treatment plant in Silver Springs for disposal.

Mike Sims, assistant director of the Solid Waste Department, said the tanks were each two-thirds to three-quarters full at the time of the incidents.

The water within the tanks, Sims said, is "heavily laden" with a mix of contaminants, including organic by-products like nitrogen, ammonia and phosphorous but also elements like lead, cadmium, arsenic, benzene and petroleum residue.

While he described one tank as having a "fairly good flow" from spider-web-like cracks in its shell following the lightning strike, there was no threat to the environment or to the local drinking-water supply, <0x000A>Sims said.

That's because the tanks are housed in a special confinement area at the landfill to safeguard against such incidents.

On Tuesday, the County Commission will consider a $54,837 emergency contract for replacing the tank. If approved, the work should take about 45 days.

Sims said the damage to the tanks was easily observable to employees. He has labeled the incident a "catastrophic event" because there was a temporary safety risk to workers near the tanks and because the disposal system was hobbled.

In dry conditions, Sims said, some 200,000 gallons of untreated water can be funneled into the tanks within a month or so. During the rainy season, that volume can jump to 750,000 gallons.

"It never really stops," Sims said of the leachate. Thus, the containment system, including the tanks, operates around the clock, Sims said.

But the lightning strikes briefly wiped out 50 percent of the system's capability.

Although no extraordinary measures were necessary to keep the landfill functioning as usual, Sims said the system is still hindered with one tank out of commission and the repaired one considered in "guarded' condition.

"Our backs are against the wall here," he noted.

Lightning occasionally hits parts of the landfill - one of the highest points in Marion County - and knocks out computers and other electrical equipment, Sims said.

But, he added, this was the first time in his 20-plus years with the Solid Waste Department that these tanks had been struck.

"Lightning is just a weird thing," he added. "You wouldn't think of it hitting the tanks."

<p>An unprecedented pair of lightning strikes has severely damaged a storage system used to hold contaminated water at Baseline Landfill, prompting Marion County officials to move quickly to get the unit operating back at full capacity.</p><p>According to county officials, lightning hit a massive 30,000-gallon tank at the landfill in September, rendering the tank irreparable. A second tank the same size that was struck in October was temporarily inoperable but has been recently repaired.</p><p>The county has four such tanks, made of reinforced fiberglass, to store polluted water that is trapped by a piping system beneath the 80-foot-plus-high mound of garbage.</p><p>The foul fluid is then shipped in 15,000-gallon-increments to a county wastewater treatment plant in Silver Springs for disposal.</p><p>Mike Sims, assistant director of the Solid Waste Department, said the tanks were each two-thirds to three-quarters full at the time of the incidents.</p><p>The water within the tanks, Sims said, is "heavily laden" with a mix of contaminants, including organic by-products like nitrogen, ammonia and phosphorous but also elements like lead, cadmium, arsenic, benzene and petroleum residue.</p><p>While he described one tank as having a "fairly good flow" from spider-web-like cracks in its shell following the lightning strike, there was no threat to the environment or to the local drinking-water supply, &lt;0x000A&gt;Sims said.</p><p>That's because the tanks are housed in a special confinement area at the landfill to safeguard against such incidents.</p><p>On Tuesday, the County Commission will consider a $54,837 emergency contract for replacing the tank. If approved, the work should take about 45 days.</p><p>Sims said the damage to the tanks was easily observable to employees. He has labeled the incident a "catastrophic event" because there was a temporary safety risk to workers near the tanks and because the disposal system was hobbled.</p><p>In dry conditions, Sims said, some 200,000 gallons of untreated water can be funneled into the tanks within a month or so. During the rainy season, that volume can jump to 750,000 gallons.</p><p>"It never really stops," Sims said of the leachate. Thus, the containment system, including the tanks, operates around the clock, Sims said.</p><p>But the lightning strikes briefly wiped out 50 percent of the system's capability.</p><p>Although no extraordinary measures were necessary to keep the landfill functioning as usual, Sims said the system is still hindered with one tank out of commission and the repaired one considered in "guarded' condition.</p><p>"Our backs are against the wall here," he noted.</p><p>Lightning occasionally hits parts of the landfill - one of the highest points in Marion County - and knocks out computers and other electrical equipment, Sims said.</p><p>But, he added, this was the first time in his 20-plus years with the Solid Waste Department that these tanks had been struck.</p><p>"Lightning is just a weird thing," he added. "You wouldn't think of it hitting the tanks."</p>